Personal Training in QLD

Personal Training in New Zealand

Running for Success. Part 2*

Tuesday, 4 September 2018, By Matt Grant

Running for Success- Part 2

As I write this article the countdown to the 2018 Sydney Running
Festival is a mere 33-days away, the Melbourne Marathon Festival is
only 61 days away! With these events marking the end of the running
calendar for most, what a better time for more running
education!

If you tuned into part one of the running for success series
you'll have a brief understanding of running gait and how it not
only differs to the biomechanics of walking but the emphasis of
running as a skill that needs to be practiced and earned! Carrying
on from the previously discussed improvements that could be made in
posture, arm drive and stride length! Let's build on this knowledge
with the following:

Body Position- Using gravity lean as a whole unit from the
ankles as opposed to the hip! This allows a midfoot strike and the
centre of mass to stay over your foot under load.

Breathing- Generally speaking you don't think about every
individual breath that you take because it's controlled by the
body's autonomous nervous system! Think of the nervous system as
the control room that allows you to regulate, move, sense and
think!

Just like the stresses of everyday life running can cause what
you call a sympathetic or chest dominant breathing pattern! It's
recommended that breathing whilst running is parasympathetic,
meaning its controlled/originates from the diaphragm! Research
indicates a direct relationship exists between diaphragm breathing
and the increased stability of the lower back, improved hip
mobility and an increase in lung volume! Consequently, allowing a
more balanced breathing rate to be established that has a reduced
energy cost!

Pull with the Hamstring- Learning to land and pull the foot
underneath the hip prioritises the hamstring as a prime mover
therefore reducing the prolonged strain on the hip flexors and a
tilted pelvic posture during running gait.

Cadence- This term describes the beats or steps per minute! A
cadence between 160-180 BPM (80-90 steps each leg) has been linked
to increased muscle tendon elasticity and a reduced ground contact
associated with heel striking. This in theory has the potential to
minimize weakness, imbalance and compensation patterns! Using
applications such as Audiostep and MusicMotion can be a helpful
tool to gain insight to your current cadence and gauge
improvement!

As mentioned previously whilst a perfect running blueprint
exists in theory there is many individual variables that can
influence its execution! However even the partial application of
the blueprint over time can assist in running faster and injury
free for longer!